


The Mummy

by annella



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-10
Updated: 2010-04-10
Packaged: 2017-10-08 20:17:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/79128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annella/pseuds/annella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was supposed to be an easy treasure hunt in the desert, but now Jared's got a four-thousand-year-old undead mummy who thinks Jared is his dead girlfriend to deal with.  Also featuring Jensen as the rugged adventurer and Chad as the comic relief.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

  
  
  
**Entry tags:** |   
[fic](http://annella.livejournal.com/tag/fic), [mummy!fic](http://annella.livejournal.com/tag/mummy%21fic)  
  
---|---  
  
_**Fic: The Mummy**_  
**Title:** The Mummy  
**Pairing:** Jared/Jensen  
**Rating:** NC-17  
**Wordcount:** 18,000  
**Summary:** It was supposed to be an easy treasure hunt in the desert, but now Jared's got a four-thousand-year-old undead mummy who thinks Jared is his dead girlfriend to deal with. Also featuring Jensen as the rugged adventurer and Chad as the comic relief.  
**A/N:** This is very very very closely based on the movie "The Mummy". Don't come here looking for a fantastic and interesting re-interpretation of the plot! Thank you to [](http://waterofthemoon.livejournal.com/profile)[**waterofthemoon**](http://waterofthemoon.livejournal.com/) and [](http://changethemusic.livejournal.com/profile)[**changethemusic**](http://changethemusic.livejournal.com/) for the fantastic beta jobs (I think I need a crash course on comma usage). ♥♥♥!

The banner under the cut is by me. It is supposed to be craptastic. :P

  


[Part 1](http://annella.livejournal.com/1051877.html) / [Part 2](http://annella.livejournal.com/1052129.html) / [Part 3](http://annella.livejournal.com/1052243.html)  



	2. The Mummy, part 1/3

  
  
  
**Entry tags:** |   
[fic](http://annella.livejournal.com/tag/fic), [mummy!fic](http://annella.livejournal.com/tag/mummy%21fic)  
  
---|---  
  
_ **The Mummy, part 1/3** _   
[Master Post](http://annella.livejournal.com/1052584.html)

Jared really, really likes his job. It's quiet, interesting, and he's working in fucking _Egypt_, with the pyramids and mummies and ancient treasures. Sometimes Jared thinks he's the luckiest guy in the world to be getting paid to do this shit.

It does, however, have its downsides. He's contemplating the sheer boredom of parts of his job as he catalogues a number of rocks found at a burial site, each with its own boring variations, and he's really looking forward to getting to the bottom of this seemingly bottomless box so he can get onto the much more interesting task of interpreting the hieroglyphics on a sarcophagus that the museum curator brought in yesterday.

He's examining one of the rocks under the bright glow of the gas lamps beside his desk when a hand lands heavily on his shoulder. A dead hand. A _mummified_ hand. It's embarrassing how loudly he screams. He immediately forgets his embarrassment, however, when the rock he was holding flies out of his hand and heads with unerring aim towards the cabinet containing the curator's favorite ancient vases.

Jared sighs and bangs his head on his desk at the inevitable _crash, tinkle, tinkle_, the sound of his chances at looking at the sarcophagus going down the drain. "I'm gonna kill you, Chad," he mutters, without even bothering to turn around.

"Not when you see what _I've_ got," Chad says in a singsong voice. He hoists himself up onto Jared's desk, disturbing all the papers and boxes. Jared sits back and groans, glaring at Chad, who's got the biggest grin Jared has ever seen on his face.

"Have you been drinking?" Jared asks suspiciously, leaning in and sniffing. He jerks back quickly; Chad stinks of whiskey and that weird Egyptian beer he's taken a liking to.

"'Course I have," Chad replies airily, waving a hand to dismiss it. "But that's not important. What's important is _this_." He pulls something out of his pocket and flourishes it, his eyes alight with glee.

Jared frowns. "A mummified finger?" he asks.

Chad looks at it and grimaces. "No. Fuck." He throws it over his shoulder, and it lands among the shards of pottery in the cabinet. Jared groans again; he's going to have to come up with a _really_ good excuse for that, and he hopes Chad's actually got something worthwhile to make up for his crappy day so far.

"Take a look at _this_," Chad says quietly, reverence in his voice. He hands Jared a small box, eight sided, with intricate carvings around the sides.

"Dear God," Jared breathes, taking the box from Chad. "This is—this—"

"Valuable, right? Bet I could get a lot of money for this baby," Chad says, reaching out to take it back. Jared pulls away, still looking at it, and when he presses the sides _there_ and _there_, the top of the box springs open.

"Wow," Jared says.

"I didn't know it did that!" Chad gasps.

"Let's see what you've found..." Jared says quietly, putting the box down on the desk and sliding his glasses on. The lid has opened to reveal a folded piece of parchment, and Jared lifts it out carefully, unfolding it and pulling one of the gas lamps closer to examine it.

"Oh wow. A treasure map," Chad babbles excitedly, leaning closer to peer at the map. "A real honest to God treasure map! We're gonna be rich!"

"Yeah..." Jared murmurs, fingers tracing over the words and directions. "Chad... do you have any idea what this is? Where did you _get_ this?"

"Bought it off some Brit in the marketplace," Chad says airily, hoisting himself off the desk and leaning on Jared's shoulder. "So, we're gonna go treasure hunting, right? Right?"

Jared sighs. Chad's like an excited puppy sometimes, and Jared wonders what the guy is still doing hanging around in Egypt with him. He's about to say so when the door opens and the curator comes in, his face in a book.

"Mr Kripke!" Jared yelps, suddenly remembering the broken vases which Kripke is going to see any second. He stands up and starts walking towards him, hoping to distract him, but it's too late.

"Jared, what—oh God, what have you done? Do you have any idea how old those were? How _precious_?" Kripke looks like he's about to cry, and Jared seizes the moment, shoving the box in front of him.

"What—"

"It's a map," Jared says quickly. "I think it's a map to Hamunaptra!"

"Hamunaptra?" Chad blurts.

"_Hamunaptra_?" Kripke says. "That's a legend, Jared. No doubt this is someone's idea of a bit of fun." He takes the map and looks at it briefly before handing it back.

"No, I think it is!" Jared says. He puts it down on the desk and pulls Kripke over to look. "See, the markings here and here, and look, the seal of Seti the First! This map is over four thousand years old, Mr Kripke!"

"_The_ Hamunaptra?" Chad squeaks.

"Be serious, Jared," Kripke scoffs. "Why waste your time looking for something that doesn't exist?"

"Wait, this is the place where the pharaohs hid all their wealth, right?" Chad asks.

"Exactly," Jared says. "It vanished over two thousand years ago."

"Yeah, yeah, that's right!" Chad exclaims. "It was all rigged to vanish into the sand!"

"We have to—"

"Oh, oh no!" Kripke cries, and Jared turns back to him, just in time to see the edge of the map burst into flame from the gas lamp next to it.

"No!" Jared grabs the map, throwing it to the floor and stamping on it to put the flames out. But it's too late; the part of the map showing the way to the city is gone when he picks it up.

"Oh dear," Kripke says. "I'm terribly sorry."

"You burned my map!" Chad says loudly, glaring at Kripke.

"For the best, probably," Kripke says dismissively. "You don't want to waste your lives on that fruitless quest, trust me."

An idea occurs to Jared, and he grabs the box, putting the remains of the map back inside before closing the lid. "Never mind," he says. "Chad, we'll just go and, um. Go and put this somewhere safe."

As they leave, Jared turns back to glance at Kripke, who is watching them go with a frown on his face.

~

"Seriously?" Jared whispers harshly. "The guy you bought it from is in _here_?" He shoulders aside a filthy, unshaven lout and pushes his way to a table in the corner, watching the crowd around the bar warily. Chad fits right in, of course, but Jared's not sure he's going to make it out of here in one piece.

"Yeah," Chad says, "he's over there." He points towards a card game in progress on the other side of the room. There are four of them, all extremely disreputable-looking, and not one of them looks like the type to know the way to Hamunaptra. He's about to grab Chad and leave when one of the four, the most unshaven and filthy of the lot, spots them and his eyes widen.

"You!" he yells, throwing his cards down on the table and leaping up from his chair like he's been stung. "You stinkin' thief, I'mma gut you!"

"Time to go!" Chad yelps, grabbing Jared's arm and trying to drag them away before the guy reaches them. It's too late, though; the guy forces his way through the crowd and is in front of them before Jared and Chad make it to the door. He's got an evil glint in his eye and a long knife in his hand.

"I think there's been a misunderstanding," Chad babbles, and Jared whacks him across the back of the head.

"You idiot! You said you _bought_ it, not stole it!"

"Bought, stole, same thing," Chad says, trying to hide behind Jared.

Jared sizes the guy up. He's tall, but not as tall as Jared, and he's swaying slightly, probably from the alcohol Jared can smell even from several feet away. Jared can take this guy, no problem, but before he can swing at him, there's a commotion from the card table.

"Cheat! Ackles is a fuckin' cheat!" someone yells. "He had an extra ace!"

The guy—Ackles—looks worried, his expression of smug satisfaction fading quickly, and Jared has an idea.

"We'll get you out of here if _you_ tell us how to get to Hamunaptra," he hisses, leaning in close and trying not to cringe at the stench of alcohol and sweat permeating Ackles' clothes.

"Deal," Ackles says quickly, and the next few minutes consist of running, shoving, a few punches being thrown, and someone pulling Jared's hair, but he thinks that might have just been one of the barmaids after he accidentally tripped over her foot. He ends up in an alleyway a few blocks from the bar with Chad and Ackles in tow, and they spend a few moments catching their breath before they all look at each other and burst out laughing.

"That was the most fun I've had for _weeks_," Chad wheezes, collapsing down on an empty crate.

"That was nothing," Ackles says dismissively. Jared notices for the first time that the guy's got one of the strongest Texas accents he's ever heard, even stronger than Jared's. He can't help the little flip his heart does at the reminder of home.

"I'm Jared, and that's Chad," Jared says. "I, uh, I work at the museum, and he's a sort of freelance archaeologist—"

"You mean he's a thief," Ackles says, glaring. "You know how much trouble I went through to get that box?"

"Oh, please," Chad groans. "You probably stole it off someone else."

"No way,"Ackles snaps. "I risked life and limb to get that. Almost _died_."

"Where did you find it?" Jared asks curiously.

"Where do you think?" Ackles says, sliding his wicked-looking knife back into its sheath at his belt. "I got it in Hamunaptra."

"You've _been_ there?" Jared asks, his jaw dropping. "What's it like? Can you remember how to get there?"

"What's it like?" Ackles asks, leaning against the filthy wall of the alleyway. "Dusty. Sandy. And people tried to kill my entire garrison while we were there. I'm the only one who made it out alive."

"Will you take us there?" Jared asks, almost shaking with excitement.

Ackles looks appraisingly at him for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, I'll take you there. On one condition."

"What condition?"

Ackles turns so quickly Jared doesn't realize what he's doing until it's too late. He swings wide and punches Chad so hard he falls off his perch and lands in the dirt, writhing and moaning in pain.

"That's your condition?" Jared asks, and Ackles grins, his face lighting up beneath the whiskers and dirt.

~

"He's not going to show," Chad grumbles, hefting his bag. The boat they've booked passage on is leaving in ten minutes, and Ackles still hasn't shown up. Jared's starting to get a bit frustrated; it's stinking hot, the camels nearby smell terrible, and the noise of the Giza docks is starting to fray his nerves.

"I think you're right," Jared sighs. "Of all the stupid, filthy, unshaven, untrustworthy—"

"Not talkin' about me, I hope," a voice says from behind him, and he sighs, turning around to see a man who only vaguely resembles the Ackles they'd made the deal with three days ago in Cairo. _This_ Ackles is clean shaven, with close-cropped hair and startling green eyes. Without the dirt, Jared can see his freckles clearly in the bright sunlight, and when Ackles grins, his white teeth glint. Damn.

"No, I, uh, we were just—"

"Hey, Ackles!" Chad says cheerfully. Jared notices that he's staying just far enough away from Ackles to steer clear of his fists, and he grins a little.

"It's Jensen," Ackles mutters, rubbing his face and staring at Jared. "My name's Jensen."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for an adventure!" Chad says brightly, slapping them both on the back and breaking the weird tension that sprung up the moment Jared caught Jensen's gaze. Jared pushes his glasses up and rubs the bridge of his nose, feeling uncomfortable and a bit tingly. He brushes the feeling aside and grabs Jensen's arm as he's about to pick up his bags.

"Look, I don't want you just playing me around. This is for real, right? You do actually know where you're going?"

Jensen looks at him, his face creased up in a frown. "Dead serious. This ain't no joke, Jared. I don't even know why I'm going back there after what happened last time."

"The treasure?" Jared asks.

"There's more out there than just treasure. There's something buried in those sands. Something—something _evil_."

Jared can hear himself breathing, can almost hear the beating of his heart. Jensen's eyes are wide and earnest, and his lower lip is caught between his teeth, slick and wet. The moment lasts until Jensen's eyes crease up and he bursts out laughing, clapping Jared on the shoulder as he laughs so hard he can hardly stand straight.

"Very funny," Jared sighs, pushing his hair off his face and grabbing his bags. "C'mon, the boat's gonna leave without us if we don't hurry up."

~

Jared's happily reading when there's a knock on his cabin door and Jensen comes in a moment later. Jared still can't quite get over the fact that this man, this _incredibly_ gorgeous man, is the same one he met back in Cairo, and he hates himself for the fluttery feeling in his stomach when their eyes meet.

He clears his throat noisily. "Can I help?" he asks.

Jensen thumps a large bag down on the desk, startling Jared. He glares up at him, but Jensen just grins back, wide-mouthed and cocky, before opening the bag.

"Guns?" Jared asks, confused. "Are we going digging or hunting?"

"Like I said, I've been out there," Jensen says quietly, seriously. "And it ain't just a dig site. There is _something_ there."

"Something _evil_?" Jared asks scornfully, still surprised by the armory in the bag. Not just guns, but knives, dynamite, rolls of ammunition, and a crossbow.

"I'm not winding you up this time," Jensen says, but Jared's not going to be fooled again; he waits for Jensen to burst out laughing, waits for him to slap Jared on the shoulder and berate him about being so gullible.

"Look, Jensen," Jared says. "I'm hoping to find an artifact out there. A book, actually. What are _you_ expecting to find?"

Jensen sits down on the edge of the bed and stares at Jared, a worried look on his face. "Evil. People say Hamunaptra is cursed."

Jared sighs. "And you believe them? Come on, you've obviously had _some_ education. That's all just fairy tales and legends."

"Legends are often based on actual events," Jensen says.

"I don't believe in them," Jared snaps. "Look, I'm hoping to find this book. The Book of Amun-Ra. It's one of the most famous books in history, one of the reasons I became an Egypt scholar. And according to my research, it should be in Hamunaptra!"

"And the fact that it's made out of gold?" Jensen asks, a slight smile on his face.

"Has nothing to do with it," Jared replies. "Although Chad will tell you differently."

Jensen shrugs. "Fine. Now tell me, Mr Scholar, in all your years of education, did you ever learn how to fire a gun?"

Jared sighs. "Yes, I can fire a gun. Lord knows why I'd need to, but yes."

"Good," Jensen grins. He stares at Jared for a moment, his gaze disconcerting, and Jared starts to squirm a little uncomfortably.

"Is everything okay?" he asks, or rather, he starts to ask. He's interrupted by Jensen leaning forward and putting a hand on the back of his neck, tugging him close. Before Jared knows what's going on, Jensen's lips are pressed gently against his, and for the briefest moment, they share a breath.

"What—" Jared stutters, pulling back, feeling immense confusion.

"Sorry," Jensen mutters, and he's gone before Jared can say another word.

Jared spends the next few hours trying to distract himself from thoughts of Jensen. He flicks idly through the books he's brought with him, trying to interpret the inscriptions on the small box and the writing on what's left of the map. He should probably be out on the deck of the boat, making sure Chad doesn't lose too much money with the gambling pals he met not five minutes after boarding the boat, but he can't quite be bothered with Chad. The feel of Jensen's lips against his lingers, and Jared can't stop running his fingers over his mouth, feeling somehow changed.

He glares at his reflection in the mirror over the desk. "It wasn't even a _good_ kiss," he mutters before shoving his books back into his bag. It's late; there are still several hours to go until they reach their destination, and Jared yawns widely as he strips his shirt off and starts to wash up.

He's distracted by a flicker of movement in the mirror, and suddenly there's a man standing right behind him, his face obscured by the dark fabric wrapped around his head and body. That's not the most important thing, though; the man has a nasty, serrated hook in his hand, and he's coming straight for Jared.

"Shit!" Jared yells, stumbling back as the man takes a swipe at him.

"Where is it?" the man shouts. "Where's the key?"

"What key?" Jared shouts back. "I don't have any keys!"

"Then I'll find it without your help!" the man snarls. He advances, holding his hook out in a very threatening manner. Jared keeps backing away, his eyes fixed on the vicious weapon, until he bumps into the table he had been working at. The man's eyes suddenly light upon the strange box and the map, and he reaches for them.

"No!" Jared cries, lunging forward to grab it first, and the man is momentarily distracted by the door to the room bursting open to reveal Jensen standing there, a shotgun in his hand and a _seriously_ angry look on his face. The man yells something Jared doesn't understand and lunges towards Jensen, but Jensen just cocks an eyebrow and fires.

As the man falls, he knocks the desk; the candle tips over and suddenly there are flames crawling across the desk towards the map and the box. Jared cries out, grabs the box, but doesn't make it to the map in time; the fire swallows it, and there's nothing left.

"The map!" Jared yells as Jensen drags him out of the room, pausing only to pick up his bag of weaponry.

"I'm the map," Jensen says grimly, pushing Jared against the wall outside and calmly reloading his shotgun.

"What the hell is going on?" Jared demands. Shit, all his _books_ are still in there. It's too late, though; the flames are starting to lick at the doorway, and there's no point in trying to retrieve any of his things.

"Boat's under attack," Jensen says.

"Does this sort of thing happen a lot around you?" Jared asks, yanking Jensen back when bullet holes start appearing in the wall right next to him.

"I was about to ask you the same," Jensen replies, standing up and firing confidently into the darkness. There's a yelp and a thud, and then Jensen's moving, dragging Jared and the armful of weapons to the edge of the boat.

"Can you swim?" Jensen demands.

"Well of course, if I have to—" Jared begins, and Jensen grins, lifts Jared up like he's some kind of damsel in distress, and throws him over the side of the boat.

Jared lands in the Nile with an almighty splash, and he only just remembers to hold on tight to the weapons bag. "Perfect," he mutters as he floats away from the burning boat, watching people jumping over the side. He can still hear gunshots and screams, and then Jensen's swimming towards him, Chad in tow, and together they make their way to dry land.

"This is terrible," Jared groans, dragging himself to shore. "We've lost everything, our clothes, my books, my _tools_..."

"Hey! Hey, Ackles!" a voice calls. It's coming from the other side of the river; all the other passengers have gone that way, and Jared sees with a sinking heart that all the horses have gone that way, too. "Looks like we've got all the horses!" the voice shrieks. It's high-pitched and grates on Jared's nerves.

Jensen growls and stands up, water pouring off him. Jared notices bitterly that at least _he_ has a shirt; Jared has nothing but his pants, boots, and glasses. He's shaking water out of his hair when Jensen yells, "Hey, Albie! Looks like you're on the wrong side of the river!"

The man Jensen called Albie, a weedy-looking guy even from this distance, looks around and shrieks, stomping away. Jensen smirks, and Jared feels slightly better about things.

"Albie? Friend of yours?" Jared asks as they make their way along the riverbank. There's a trading post a few miles away, where Jensen assures him they'll be able to get camels and supplies.

"Not really," Jensen mutters. "He was in my garrison. Back-stabbing little roach. I thought he died when we were in Hamunaptra, but he must have weaseled his way out somehow."

"What's he doing here?" Chad asks. "He _smells_."

Both Jared and Jensen eye Chad, who's wriggling a finger around in his ear to remove river muck, and they both start laughing at the same time.

"What?" Chad asks, disgruntled. "He does! And he was hanging out with those Brits..."

"Yeah, that," Jensen says. "He's guiding a group of guys to Hamunaptra, just like I'm doing with you."

"Do you know what they're looking for?" Jared asks. "Not the Book, I hope."

"Nah," Jensen replies. "Just treasure, I think. Although they do have an Egyptologist with them. Guy named Singer."

"Oh, wonderful," Jared groans. "Robert Singer? He's probably read the same article I have! We have to get there before them!"

"No worries there," Chad says, sounding smug. "We're on the right side of the river. And we made a bet. Five hundred dollars says we get to Hamunaptra before them."

Jared groans again, rubbing a hand over his face. "Wonderful, Chad. Just wonderful." This is the best adventure _ever_.

~

They arrive at the trading post around dawn. Jared's freezing; the night air is a stark contrast to the heat of the day, and he can't wait for the sun to come up and start warming him again. He sits down in a patch of scrubby grass, rubbing his biceps briskly to try to warm up, and watches Jensen negotiate the trade of one of his pistols and a knife for four camels, some clothing, and some tools. By the time he's done, the sun is well in the sky, and Jared's sweating, feeling his skin start to burn under the intense heat, and he's immensely relieved to pull a coarse linen shirt over his head. Jensen looks slightly disappointed at no longer being able to stare at Jared's chest, but Jared just rolls his eyes and turns towards the camels.

"Coulda sold your friend and got them for free," he hears Jensen mutter to Chad, who laughs a little more than Jared thinks is really necessary. He ignores them, however; life is looking up at the moment now that he has a wide-brimmed hat to keep out the worst of the sun, and his camel didn't even spit at him when he mounted it.

~

They travel until the heat and sun are too much and they're forced to take shelter beneath a rocky outcrop. Jensen passes around bread and hard cheese and cracks open one of the water casks on the back of the spare camel. It's still hot in the shade, but Jared's been in Egypt long enough to cope with the heat. Chad complains, as always, but Jared just lies back and closes his eyes, hoping for a few hours of sleep before it's cool enough to get moving again.

He wakes up to find himself curled up on his side, his head buried in Jensen's shoulder, a wet patch of drool under his cheek. He risks a glance upwards and sees that Jensen's fast asleep as well, so Jared carefully moves away, trying not to wake him. It almost works, but then Jensen's eyes crack open and he regards Jared sleepily.

"Sorry," Jared says quietly. "Guess I, uh—"

"It's okay," Jensen says quickly. "Um, we should get going." He stands up and stretches, his spine creaking audibly, and Jared admires the shape of his ass in his tight pants briefly before standing up as well. The whole tight pants, knee high boots, tight shirt and suspenders combination Jensen's wearing looks _really_ good on him, and Jared looks down at himself, at his baggy linen shirt and the pants that used to be nice until they got a dunking in the Nile. He sighs; he's never going to be one of those guys who looks good all scruffy and sweaty like Jensen does. Chad's on the other side of the overhang, snoring loudly, and Jared nudges him with his boot to rouse him. It's late afternoon, the sun low in the sky.

"Should be there by morning if we ride through the night," Jensen says, saddling up the camels.

"You just want to win that bet," Jared says. He's got sand down his pants, and it's starting to chafe. Riding a camel all night with sand in the crack of his ass is not going to be comfortable.

Jensen shrugs. "Couldn't care less, except it'll be nice to stick it to Albie. Your buddy there is the one who made the damned bet."

Chad glances over at them and puts the waterskin down. "It was the heat of the moment!" he protests.

Jared sighs and rolls his eyes, and Jensen grins at him.

~

The thing is, Jared's never been open about the fact that he prefers men. Chad knows; it became necessary to tell Chad after the hundredth time his friend tried to force a woman on him while Jared was in college and Chad was living off his father's wealth. And to his credit, Chad only spent a week avoiding Jared and being a dick about it before he was back in Jared's house, drinking his beer and eating his food.

He wonders how Jensen knew. Jared hasn't done anything to encourage Jensen's attention, and yet he has it regardless. It's a bit disconcerting, but at the same time, it gives Jared a warm feeling in his stomach.

Jensen glances over at him and catches his gaze in the dim evening light. The desert is fading to black with nightfall, and Jensen's face is cloaked in shadows. He grins, and his teeth flash white. Jared looks away quickly, reaching down to adjust his saddlebags, but he can't stop the wide smile that tugs at the corners of his mouth.

~

Jared's dozing on his camel when dawn starts to appear, and he's roused by Jensen gently shaking his shoulder.

"We're here," Jensen murmurs, and Jared blinks awake, staring around at the rocky desert. The sky to the east is starting to turn purple, and as he watches, it changes to red and then a deep, fiery gold. Despite his years in Egypt, Jared's never seen a sunrise in the desert, and he's impressed.

They round the edge of a dune, and suddenly, they've got company. A large band of people on horseback rides up, and Jared recognizes Jensen's former comrade, Albie, at the head of the group.

"So much for an easy win," Jared says to Chad, who scowls at the party. There are three men who must be the Brits, and they've brought with them a dozen or more Egyptians with digging tools strapped to their horses. An older man wearing a fez nods condescendingly at Jared, and he smiles politely back while grinding his teeth.

"That Singer?" Jensen murmurs, and Jared nods.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Chad asks. "I don't see any ancient cities of the dead anywhere."

"Just wait," Jensen says, watching the horizon. The sun is just starting to appear, and the scene before them shimmers and ripples like a mirage.

"Dear God," Jared breathes, watching the horizon change before his very eyes, the light skipping over the desert until suddenly, there's a ruined city only a mile or so away.

"Go, go!" Jensen yells, and they're off, galloping across the desert floor towards Hamunaptra. Jensen's in the lead, Albie a close second, and Jared growls under his breath when Albie stops whipping his own camel and starts on Jensen, smacking him across the arms and face until Jensen manages to grab the whip off him and give him a taste of his own medicine. Albie shrieks and falls, narrowly avoiding being trampled beneath the hooves of Jared's camel as he passes, smirking at the glowering man.

Horses might be all well and good on the racetrack, but out in the desert, they're no match for the camels, which have a surprising turn of speed once they get started. Jared, Jensen, and Chad easily outpace the Brits, trotting through a gap in the wall and into the outlying ruins of the city a good ten seconds before anyone else gets there. Jared's breathing heavily, exhilarated by the race, and he turns to grin at Jensen, who's smiling just as widely.

"Five hundred dollars, bitches!" Chad yells as the Brits ride up, looking disappointed but resigned.

"That was amazing," Jared murmurs to Jensen, and they look at each other and laugh as Albie rides up, looking disgruntled and bruised.

~

"What is _that_?" Chad asks, poking at the face of a statue. It's so deeply buried in sand that only the top half of its face is visible, and Jared rushes over to see.

"It's Anubis!" he exclaims. "You found it, Chad!"

"Found what?" Chad pokes at the statue, scraping off some of the crumbling stone.

"According to the Bembridge Scholars," Jared says, grabbing a spade from the armful of tools that Jensen mysteriously turned up with, "there's a secret compartment underneath the statue of Anubis, which contains the Book of Amun-Ra!"

"That's the gold one, right?" Chad asks, grabbing another spade and helping Jared dig around the statue.

"Hey!" Jensen calls, and Jared turns to look. "There's an entrance over here. Might be easier than digging our way down."

Jared is relieved to not have to dig too much in the bright morning sun, and he and Jensen quickly rig up a rope that will lower them into the chamber Jensen found not far away from Anubis. It's completely dark in the chamber, and when Jared's boots touch sandy earth, he coughs, struggling to catch his breath in the stale, centuries-old air. It smells of dust, dryness, and mold; no one has been in this room for a very long time.

"I'll get some torches set up," Jensen mutters when he joins Jared. A moment later there's a flare of light, and Jared blinks, gazing around the room they've entered, taking in the moldering equipment and trash lying around. He spies a mirror set halfway up the wall and goes to take a closer look, Jensen trailing behind him with the torch.

"What is it?" Jensen asks, reaching out to dust cobwebs away.

"Ancient Egyptian trick," Jared says, excited. He's heard of this trick, but has never seen it in action. "Look—over there," He heads over to another mirror in the center of the room, over where they came in. It's bigger than the one on the wall, and when Jared tries to move it, it groans, rust-filled hinges complaining as it shifts. He manages to angle it into the beam of light coming through the roof, tilting it until it reflects off the mirror on the wall. The light then reflects off another mirror, and another, shafts of light dancing all over the room until it is lit up with a gentle glow.

"Wow," Jensen says, looking impressed.

"Neat, huh?" Jared replies, and grins at him.

~

"So what is this place?" Jensen asks once Chad has lowered the equipment down and joined them.

"Preparation room," Jared replies, looking at the ancient tools scattered all over the rotted tables. "This is where they made the mummies."

"So this is..." Jensen asks, holding up a rusty hook.

"The thing they shoved up your nose and wiggled around before yanking your brains out with it? Sure is."

"Gross," Jensen says, dropping it quickly and wiping his hand on his pants. Jared laughs.

"Nothing valuable in here," Chad remarks, sounding bored. He's got an expert eye for that sort of thing, so they light more torches and carry on, heading into a corridor at the far end of the chamber. Jensen insists on going first, a pistol held in front of him, and Jared's sure that at any moment, Jensen's going to turn to Jared and say, "Just having some fun with you, it's all a joke, nothing evil down here!" But Jensen looks deadly serious, and Jared eventually has to admit to himself that these ancient corridors are actually really scary, and it's nice to have a man with a gun in the lead.

At one point, a rustling, scratching sound fills the corridor, rising in volume and then fading away as it passes. They all freeze, and Jared finds himself clutching Jensen's arm.

"What the hell was that?" Chad wavers, sounding as terrified as Jared feels.

"Sounded like bugs," Jensen says, glancing at the walls around them, which thankfully continue to remain bug-free.

"Bugs?" Chad yelps. "I hate bugs!" He moves closer to Jared, who would ordinarily laugh at Chad, but he's actually glad to have someone else close by right now.

"C'mon," Jensen says. "Anubis should be this way." He continues on, and Jared realizes that he's still got his hand wrapped around Jensen's forearm. He can't quite make himself let go, and Jensen doesn't seem to be objecting.

As they near the end of the corridor, Jared suddenly hears rising whispers, a flurry of words he can't make out, and he tenses, holding onto Jensen's arm even tighter.

"More bugs?" Chad whispers, but Jared shakes his head. This sounds more like ancient voices, expressing their disapproval of the venture, and just around the corner ahead of them is some ghastly monstrosity, ready to tear them to shreds for daring to—

Jensen leaps around the corner, a gun in each hand, and Jared cries out in alarm, following him. He really doesn't want Jensen to be torn to shreds by a monster. He's ridiculously relieved to find the other party of diggers, all pointing guns and looking as terrified as he'd been.

"Jesus, Ackles, you scared the crap out of us!" one of the Brits says as they lower their guns.

"Likewise," Jensen replies, following suit. Jared breathes a little easier when there are no more guns being pointed at them, but then another one of the Brits, a short guy with glasses, says, "Hey, those are my tools!" and points at the bundle Jared's holding. Suddenly the guns are back up again, and Jared flinches back.

"Uh, maybe not," the guy says, backing down quickly.

"Right, well, we've got a lot of work to do," Singer says, pushing his way to the front and laying a hand on the base of what Jared immediately recognizes as the statue of Anubis.

"This is our dig site!" Chad objects loudly.

"No way, we got here first!" someone yells back, and then, what do you know? It's guns again.

Jared sighs and buries his head in his hands, and that's when he notices the gap between the blocks of stone that make up the floor. He shifts some sand with his boot and watches it vanish into the gloom.

"Hey, hey, calm down," he says, putting a hand on Jensen's shoulder and trying to look harmless. "There's enough for everyone here." He looks Jensen in the eye, tightening his grip. "There are other places to dig."

Jensen looks back at him, a query in his eye, and Jared nods slightly.

[Part 2](http://annella.livejournal.com/1052129.html)


	3. The Mummy, part 2/3

  
  
  
**Entry tags:** |   
[fic](http://annella.livejournal.com/tag/fic), [mummy!fic](http://annella.livejournal.com/tag/mummy%21fic)  
  
---|---  
  
_ **The Mummy, part 2/3** _   
[Part 1](http://annella.livejournal.com/1051877.html)

"We should be right underneath the statue!" Jared enthuses as Jensen and Chad hack away at the low roof of the chamber with pickaxes. "If my calculations are correct, we'll come up right between his legs."

"Lucky Anubis," Jensen murmurs.

"According to my readings, the book is hidden in a secret compartment. Once those beastly Poms go to sleep, we'll steal the book right from under their noses!" Jared's bouncing on his heels impatiently, so excited his entire body is twitching.

"As long as Singer hasn't found the secret compartment first," Jensen points out.

"I hope not." Jared sighs. "I'd really like to beat him to it. I can't wait to see the look on his face when—"

The roof falls in with a resounding crash, and they all leap out of the way as something lands heavily on the ground, showering them with sand and stones. Jared coughs, waving aside the dust as he climbs to his feet to see what they've found.

"It's a sarcophagus!" Chad says.

"Why would they bury someone in the ceiling?" Jensen asks, confused.

"Not in the ceiling," Jared says, going to examine it. "They buried him beneath the statue. Which means he probably did something really, _really_ bad."

The sarcophagus is huge and black, made of granite, with hieroglyphics carved into the lid and a strange star-shaped hole, about half an inch deep, on the side. Jared traces his fingers over the hieroglyphics, translating them aloud. "'He who shall not be named'," he says quietly.

"Huh," Jensen says. "So, we gonna open it?"

"Of course!" Jared says, tossing Jensen a crowbar. "Get to work." Jensen raises an eyebrow at him, and he winks.

After a few minutes with a crowbar, however, they're not having any luck. Jensen keeps trying, though, while Jared examines every corner for possible levers to open it with.

"It's locked tight," Jensen groans eventually, throwing the crowbar aside and running a hand through his sweaty hair. His formerly white shirt is stained with sweat and dust, and there are smudges of dirt on his face, trails of sweat tracking clear pathways through the grime. He's never looked more desirable in Jared's opinion. Jared watches as Jensen's chest rises and falls with his panting breaths, noticing how shiny and bright his eyes are from the exertion. His face is flushed, his lips parted, and Jared can't help imagining other ways to make Jensen look like this.

"Locked?" Chad asks. "You mean we need to find a fucking key to get inside?"

"A key?" Jared repeats. Something tugs at the corner of his mind, and suddenly it dawns on him. He rushes over to their bags, rummaging inside to find the strange box which had started this whole adventure in the first place. "Here!" he exclaims when he finds it. "The man on the boat who attacked me—he said he wanted the key!" He springs it open, and it's the exact shape of the star-shaped hole on the sarcophagus.

"Excellent," Chad crows, rubbing his hands together in excitement. Jared's about to place the key in the lock when they hear a terrible chorus of shrieks coming from the room above.

"What the fuck?" Jared yells, dropping the key. Jensen immediately goes for his guns, rushing out of the room and back to the chamber above them to find out what's going on. Jared and Chad follow, although what Jared can do without any weapons he's not entirely sure. But there's no way he's leaving Jensen to face whatever threat that is by himself. They reach the chamber in seconds, and Jared is horrified to see several bodies on the ground in front of the statue, their features melted off and the stink of sizzled flesh in the air.

"What the hell?" he hears Jensen ask. Singer and the Brits are standing by looking shocked, and Albie is cringing in the corner. The rest of the diggers have fled.

"Salt acid," Singer says, his voice shaking a little. "Pressurised. It sprayed out when they opened the compartment. Ancient Egyptian booby trap, it seems."

"Oh my God," Jared says quietly, feeling sick.

~

By silent agreement on both sides, there is no more digging that day. They set up camp near the outskirts of the city, not wanting to be particularly close to the site of the day's disaster.

"Maybe this place really is cursed," Chad says morosely, poking at the fire with a stick. He and Jensen share a look, and Jared sighs.

"Oh, come on!" he says, laughing. "You don't really believe in curses, do you?"

"Don't you?" Jensen asks.

"If I can see it or touch it, I believe in it," Jared snaps.

Jensen looks at him for a moment, his face expressionless. "I believe in guns," he says, picking up his shotgun and cocking it. "In being prepared for anything."

Chad huffs. "I believe in _this_," he says, rummaging in his bag and bringing out a bottle of liquor.

"I gotta agree with you there," Jensen says, amused, and he reaches out to take the bottle after Chad's had a swig. He doesn't get a chance to have a drink, though, because that's when a large group of men on horseback attacks the campsite.

"Stay here!" Jensen yells, throwing a gun at Jared and rushing off towards the attackers.

"Like hell!" Jared shouts back, scrambling to his feet to take off after Jensen. He quickly realizes, however that he would just get in Jensen's way, and he ends up huddled behind a wall, watching Jensen fight off the rider. He's impressed at the way Jensen throws himself into battle, picking off riders with his shotgun. At one point in the fight, he manages to climb onto a pile of rocks, leap up to tackle and drag a rider off his horse, shoot the scimitar out of his hand, and promptly turn around to shoot the man coming up behind him with another scimitar.

All over the camp, battles are taking place between the riders and the diggers. The Brits are in the thick of it, taking out the attackers with what Jared considers to be undue enthusiasm. But he can't fault their skill; the tide of the battle quickly turns against the riders until there are only a few left.

Jared hears someone coming up behind him, and turns quickly to see a tattooed man stalking towards him. He raises his gun instinctively, pulling the trigger, and the blast knocks the man off his feet. It also knocks Jared backwards over the wall and he lands on his back on the sand with a thump. He lies there and tries to catch his breath, listening to the sounds of battle raging around him, and he hears a loud voice saying, "Stop! We will shed no more blood tonight. But you must leave this place or die!"

With that dramatic announcement, the remaining riders gallop off, leaving only the sounds of the wounded. Jared tries to sit up, but his back hurts, and he decides that the sand is really quite nice to lie on, actually. He's still there a few minutes later when Jensen's face suddenly appears in his vision, looking terrified.

"Jared! Are you all right?" he gasps, kneeling down next to him and helping him sit up.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just got the wind knocked out of me," Jared says, leaning against Jensen's side as he props him up. Jensen's hot, sweaty, still panting from the fight, and Jared breathes in his scent, closing his eyes and letting Jensen support him.

"C'mon, let's get you up," Jensen says gently, helping Jared to his feet and slinging an arm around his waist, taking some of his weight as they make their way back to the campsite.

"Are _you_ okay?" Jared asks, worried by the thin trail of blood on Jensen's face.

"Yeah," Jensen replies, depositing Jared down in front of the fire and sitting next to him. "Just a scratch." But he lets Jared look at it, lets him clean it and hold a cloth to it until the bleeding stops.

"Who _were_ they?" Jared asks.

"No idea," someone says, and Jared looks up to see the Brits on the other side of the fire. He frowns at Jensen, who shrugs.

"Figured we should, uh, team up," the one with the glasses. "I'm Alex. That's James, that's Greg."

Introductions are made quickly, and then the alcohol appears. It seems Chad's not the only one who believes in the power of strong liquor.

"There's _got_ to be a fortune hidden under here," James says with certainty.

"Yeah," Alex agrees. "Why else would they attack us? They're protecting Seti's treasure!"

"No," Jensen says softly, and Jared glances at him. "They're desert people. They don't value gold, they value water. They're protecting something else."

"Huh," Chad says. "Want a drink?"

Jensen accepts the bottle gladly, and he passes it to Jared after he's taken a mouthful. Jared swallows deeply, feeling the liquor burn in his throat and stomach. He swears he can taste Jensen's mouth on the lip of the bottle.

"What _is_ that?" he asks.

~

Whatever it is, it's strong. It doesn't take long before Jared's telling Jensen his life story while Chad snores on the ground next to them. The others have long retreated to their tents, and it's just Jared and Jensen by the fire.

"I don't get you," Jensen says after a while.

"What's there to not get?" Jared asks, confused. He takes another sip of liquor.

Jensen points at Chad. "Him, I get. But you? What are _you_ doing here?"

"My father! He was an explorer. And he _looooved_ Egypt." Jared waves the bottle around. "He loved it so much he married an Egyptian woman! My mother! And she was an adventurer, too."

"Okay," Jensen says slowly. "So now I get your mother and your father, but I still don't get _you_."

"Hey," Jared snaps, staggering to his feet. "I'm not some kind of treasure hunter like Chad, or a fighter like you, or an explorer like my mother! But I'm proud of what I am!"

"And what is that?" Jensen asks, amused.

"I'm a librarian!" Jared announces, spreading his arms wide and grinning. He falls to his knees in front of Jensen, leaning in so close that he can smell the liquor on his breath. "And now, I'm going to kiss you."

"Um, okay?" Jensen says, tilting his face up to meet Jared's. Their lips meet for the briefest moment before the world spins and turns black.

~

"Oh God, that's a terrible sound," Jared groans as they all push at the lid of the sarcophagus. The key turned easily enough, but the lid is still made of granite, and the sound of grinding stone is like a knife in Jared's skull.

"Not my fault you got so drunk you _passed out on me_," Jensen says pointedly, and Jared glares at him. He really wishes his memories of the previous evening weren't so stark and clear in his mind; whenever he thinks about almost kissing Jensen, he feels a hot flush of embarrassment inl his belly.

"C'mon, almost there," Chad grunts, and with a final heave, the lid of the sarcophagus falls to the ground with an almighty _crash_. Jared's vindictively glad to see that he's not the only one who groans in pain and clutches his head.

"What have we here?" Jared says thoughtfully when the dust clears. There's another, smaller coffin inside the granite sarcophagus, and he runs his fingers excitedly over the ancient scripts covering it. "Oh my God, I've been dreaming about this moment since I was a boy!"

"You dream about dead guys?" Jensen asks, and Jared doesn't dignify that with a response. He's brushing dust off the top of the coffin when he notices what's wrong.

"All the sacred spells have been chiselled off," he murmurs, frowning.

"Why would they do that?" Jensen asks.  
"The sacred spells are supposed to help the spirit through the afterlife. This man... he didn't have that protection. He was doomed. Cursed."

There's a heavily laden pause, and a chill wind whistles through the chamber, making the hair on the back of Jared's neck stand on end.

"So what now?" Jensen asks.

"Open it," Jared replies. "Cursed? Come on. I told you I don't believe in that sort of thing."

"C'mon, I want to see inside!" Chad agrees eagerly, and Jensen sighs, nods, and puts the key in the lock. There's a hiss of air rushing in, and the lid of the coffin falls open and a twisted, snarling creature lunges forward and attacks them.

"Aaaah!" Jared shrieks, and he's not the only one. Chad screams shrilly and flees to the other side of the chamber, and Jensen leaps out of the way with a yell. "Holy crap!" Jensen says after a moment, when it becomes clear that they're not actually under attack.

"I hate when they do that," Jared wheezes, trying to get his heart rate and breathing under control. He glares at the mummy, which had seemed to leap from its coffin towards them.

"Do they normally look like this?" Jensen asks in a strangled voice. Jared leans in for a closer look, taking in the agonized, twisted body, the scream of rage its face is contorted into, and shakes his head.

"No," Jared replies. "I've never seen a mummy that looks like this. He's, well, he's still..." He pauses.

"Juicy," Chad and Jensen say together.

"Exactly," Jared agrees. "He's over four thousand years old and still decomposing! I don't understand!"

"Look at the lid," Jensen says, pointing at the scratch marks. He holds his fingers up against them, and Jared shudders. "Fingernail marks," Jensen confirms.

"He must have been buried alive," Jared says softly. "And look, he's left a message." The symbols are hard to read, but Jared's not a trained Egyptologist for nothing. "'Death is only the beginning'," he translates.

"Huh," Jensen says thoughtfully, and picks up his gun, making sure it's loaded.

"What are you going to do with that?" Chad asks scornfully. "Shoot him?"

"If he wakes up, then yes," Jensen says, and Jared can't quite bring himself to laugh at that.

~

"Look at what we found!" Alex says excitedly as dinner is cooking on the campfire. He and the other two are all carrying jars, beautifully painted and inlaid with jewels. Jared recognizes them as canopic jars, and he wonders if the original contents are still inside. He notices Singer sitting not far away with a jar of his own, and Jared's stomach clenches when he sees the large black book that Singer is holding.

"He found it," he says quietly to Jensen while Chad is admiring the jars, and Jensen glances over at Singer.

"Sorry," he murmurs.

"I'll get over it," Jared sighs. "In the meantime, I did some research on that mummy we found. And I found these in the coffin!" He reaches into his bag and pulls out the scarab skeletons he'd discovered.

"Bugs?" Jensen asks, poking one.

"Scarabs. They're flesh eaters. They can survive for years off the flesh of a corpse. Someone had thrown them in the coffin with him! I hate to think what this guy did to deserve it."

"Do they have some kind of meaning?"

"The Hom Dai," Jared says softly. "The worst of the ancient Egyptian curses. I've never actually heard of it being performed. Apparently, they only did it to the most evil of people, and if he should ever arise, he would bring the ten plagues of Egypt!"

"Wow," Jensen says.

"Let's not let him arise," Chad adds.

"Wasn't planning on it," Jared says. He gets to his feet, and Jensen looks up at him quizzically. "Can I have a word?" Jared asks.

"Sure," Jensen says, and follows Jared through the ruins until they can't see the campsite. Jared's been feeling twitchy all day, the memory of the almost-kiss from the night before strong in his mind and he's dying to get his hands on Jensen. He knows for sure it's not a one-sided deal—he's seen Jensen eyeing him all day, and there was an undeniable spark between them, the air almost crackling whenever they inadvertently touched.

"What's up?" Jensen asks, coming to stand in front of Jared. Jared looks at him from under his lashes, biting his lip a little and wondering what to say.

"I, um. I wanted to talk about last night," he says nervously, running a hand through his hair. He really kind of hates how shy he can be sometimes— especially in the face of incredibly hot, incredibly amazing guys he wants to kiss.

"The kiss?" Jensen asks, his lips quirking up in a smile.

"Or the lack thereof," Jared points out.

"Yeah, that. Were you wanting to pick up where we left off?"

Jared blinks at him. "Actually, yeah." He was planning on saying more, but he's interrupted when Jensen pushes him hard against a pillar and slides his thumbs over Jared's cheeks.

"Good," Jensen says softly, so close to Jared's face that he can feel the puff of air when Jensen breathes out. "Driving me mad, Jared. Absolutely nuts."

"Speak for yourself," Jared replies, resting his hands on Jensen's hips and pulling him close so their bodies slide together. Jensen presses his mouth gently against Jared's, firm and warm. Jared responds eagerly. He closes his eyes and fits his lips over Jensen's, parting them slightly and enjoying Jensen's hum of approval. They kiss softly for long minutes, sharing breath and warmth, and Jared runs his hands up Jensen's back, feeling the smooth muscles under his shirt shift as Jensen does the same to him.

Jensen feels so damned good, his body firm and his mouth slick and hot. Jared opens his mouth a little and moans when Jensen takes the opportunity to slip his tongue inside, curling it around Jared's and stroking gently. Everything suddenly becomes more urgent; Jared clamps his hands over Jensen's ass, kneading the firm muscle and yanking him close. He spreads his legs to let Jensen in between them, their erections rubbing together through their pants.

"Wait," Jensen gasps, pulling away and catching his breath. "Not here."

"Not here? Why?" Jared asks plaintively, trying to steal another kiss.

"Wait until we get back to Cairo?" Jensen suggests. "I'd really like to have you in a bed in a room with a door that locks. Not against a pillar in the City of the Dead with a large crowd of people not thirty feet away." He licks Jared's neck, and Jared shivers.

"Fair enough," he sighs, but he doesn't let Jensen go until he's had another kiss.

On the way back to the campsite, they pass Singer. Jared notices that he's asleep, the canopic jar clutched in one hand and the large book lying next to him. "Wait," Jared says softly and glances around to check that everyone else is asleep. He's relieved to see that it's just him and Jensen who are still awake, and he creeps over to Singer, kneeling down and slowly picking up the book. Singer doesn't wake up, just snorts and rolls over, and Jared hurries away with it, Jensen following him.

"That's stealing," Jensen says, disapproving.

"According to Chad, it's borrowing," Jared says, and he sits down by the fire with the book in his lap. It's heavy and black with a familiar star-shaped design cut into the cover, and by the looks of it, Singer hadn't been able to get it open.

"That's not the golden book, is it?" Jensen asks.

"Obviously not," Jared says, reading the hieroglyphics on the cover. "I think this is the Black Book of the Dead."

"What an auspicious title," Jensen says wryly, and Jared grins at him, pulling the key out of his pocket. He fits it into the lock and turns it, feeling the lock click open under his fingers. The pages are made of what appear to be sheets of metal, and Jared peers at the words in front of him.

"You're not going to read it, are you?" Jensen says, looking worried.

"Oh, come on," Jared says, distracted. "No harm ever came from reading a book. Here, this passage—it talks about the night and the day." He starts reading it aloud, the syllables unfamiliar and heavy on his tongue, and he swears he hears a faint rustling sound as he speak, far-off voices crying out.

"_No_!" Singer yells, and Jared stops, suddenly scared. "You must not read from the Book!"

"Oh, crap," Jensen murmurs, and the entire campsite starts to awaken as a rushing wind whistles around them, carrying with it a high-pitched whine from far away. Jared stands, clutching the book, and Jensen and Chad fumble for weapons as they watch a shadow approach from the distance, coming over the sand dunes with great speed.

"What the hell is that?" Jared murmurs.

"Run!" Jensen yells, grabbing Jared's sleeve and tugging him towards the entrance to the underground tunnels. The shadow comes closer, and Jared realizes it's made up of millions of locusts, shrieking and chittering as they start to engulf the campsite. The three of them only just make it into the tunnels before the swarm hits, and they flee down into the labyrinth, picking locusts out of their hair.

"Oh my God," Jared wheezes, when they stop for a moment. Jensen's somehow managed to find a torch to light the way, and Jared's relieved to see the tunnel is blessedly free of locusts.

"What the hell?" Chad moans. "Locusts? What's going on?"

"I think I might have done something a bit stupid," Jared confesses. He's about to spill the entire story to Chad when they hear a chittering, rushing noise, much like the one they had heard when they first entered the tunnels the day before yesterday. But this time it's getting louder and not dying away, and Jared suddenly notices a small mound of sand forming in the middle of the tunnel, getting higher and higher as the noise gets louder. He backs away, Jensen and Chad doing the same, and then the top of the mound bursts open and giant black beetles scurry out, hissing as they go.

"Scarabs!" Jared yells, and they run, the scarabs close behind them. He hears Jensen shooting at the swarm, but it does no good. They come to a large cavern, the path leading across what looks like a chasm, and Jared instinctively leaps across the gap, landing in a small grotto against the wall. He looks back to see Jensen and Chad have done similar things, and he watches in horror as the swarm of scarabs covers one of the diggers who doesn't leave the path in time. It's over very quickly; he shrieks, completely covered in scarabs, and then they move on, leaving a shrivelled corpse in their wake.

"Are they gone?" Chad asks.

"I think so," Jared replies, leaning back against the wall in relief. That's when the wall moves, a small opening appearing, and he falls through it, landing on his back in the dark.

~

Jared sits up, shaking sand out of his hair. He has no idea where he is; it's almost completely dark in here, and he gets to his feet, trying and failing to find the hole he fell through.

"Great," he mutters, setting off down the corridor. He comes to a large room and is immensely relieved to find Alex standing in the middle of it. At least he's not alone down here.

"Hey, Alex, are you okay?" he asks, going up to him and touching him on the shoulder. Alex turns, and Jared recoils; his eyes have been torn out.

"El ee," Alex groans, and Jared is horrified to realize his tongue has been ripped out as well.

"Shit, come on, buddy," Jared says, taking his arm. "We'll find our way out together." He turns towards what looks like the exit and sees the mummy standing right in front of him.

"Aaah!" he yells, dropping Alex's arm and backing away. The mummy looks at him, completely ignoring Alex, and approaches slowly, following Jared until he's backed up against the wall and can't go any further.

"Oh God, help me," Jared murmurs. "Alex? Help me, please!" But Alex is useless, moaning unintelligibly about his eyes and tongue, and Jared's all by himself.

"_Kadeesh pharos Anck-su-namun!_" the monster says, and Jared recoils; it's got fresh eyes and a tongue, and he suddenly realizes what happened to Alex. That's when Jensen turns up, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him away.

"Come on, Jared!" he yells. "We gotta—holy shit!" They back away from the monster, which opens its mouth and roars at them, the noise echoing through the chamber and filling Jared with dread. Jensen shrieks back, opening fire, and the creature falls back as the bullets rip its chest open. Jared doesn't look back as Jensen drags him out of the tunnel and into the cool night air.

They're confronted by a large group of people in black robes and tattooed faces, scimitars at their belts and serious expressions. Jared recognizes them as the men who attacked them the night before and wonders whether they've jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Kneeling on the sand in front of them are Chad, James, Greg, and Singer, all of them looking terrified. The man who is obviously in charge steps forward.

"We told you to leave," he says, his piercing blue eyes fixing on Jared. "We told you to leave, and instead, you awoke the creature that we have feared for over four thousand years! You may have killed us all!"

"Don't worry," Jensen says breezily, "I got him." He brandishes his gun and smirks, but the guy does not seem impressed.

"You fool! No mortal weapon can kill this creature! He is not of this world!" He gestures to the men behind him, and two of them step forward, carrying Alex between them. They dump him on the ground, and he groans, gurgling out incomprehensible words.

"What did you do to him?" James yells.

"We saved his life," the man says. "The creature was unable to finish his work. You must all leave immediately before he kills you all. We will remain behind to try to destroy him."

"I told you," Jensen growls. "I told you, I got him!"

The man glares. "You do not understand. This creature will not eat, will not sleep, until he has consummated the curse. He will be coming for you, and he will never stop. Now go!"

~

Jared's feeling seriously crappy by the time they get back to Cairo. He supposes that accidentally raising a mummy from the dead will do that to you, and he feels like he should take some responsibility for sending him back to the dead.

"No, you shouldn't," Jensen snaps, grabbing the pile of books off of Jared and putting them back into his suitcase. "You are getting the hell out of Egypt! Let those guys from the desert handle this!"

"No, I'm staying here! I have to do something to help!" Jared replies, taking them out again and putting them back on the shelf.

"I thought you didn't believe in this stuff!" Jensen tries, fighting briefly with Jared over a pair of pants before he yanks them away from Jared's hands and shoves them back in a drawer.

"I changed my mind! I saw a mummy come to life!"

"Forget it," Jensen snarls, going to the closet and pulling out all of Jared's clothes. He drops them in the suitcase, and Jared slams the lid shut, jamming Jensen's fingers. "Ow, fuck!" he yelps, sucking them into his mouth.

"It's our fault, Jensen! So it's our responsibility to fix it!"

"_Our_ fault?" Jensen says sarcastically.

"Fine, _my_ fault."

"How do we kill him, then? You heard the scary-looking guy! No mortal weapons!"

"Then we'll just have to find some _im_mortal ones!"

"No way, this is _not_ our problem anymore!"

"Jensen!" Jared yells, so frustrated he could scream. "I read what the Book said about him. He's not going to stop! His curse will spread until the entire world is covered in darkness!"

"And that is my problem _why?_" Jensen asks.

"It's everybody's problem!"

"I did not sign on for this!" Jensen yells. "I was only supposed to take you out there and bring you back, and that's what I've done, end of contract!"

"Wow," Jared says, stung to the bone. "So that's all I am. A contract."

Jensen doesn't budge. "You can either stay and fight or leave with me. It's up to you."

"Then I'm staying," Jared says stubbornly.

"Fine."

"Fine!"

Jensen storms out the door, slamming it just in time to avoid the book that Jared throws at his head.

"God dammit!" Jared yells, unpacking the small number of things Jensen had managed to shove into his suitcase. He paces around his apartment, so angry he could scream, and it's a long while before he can put thoughts of Jensen out of his head and start looking through his books to try to find any information on how to kill a dead guy.

~

He's on his way to the library to find more resources when he runs into Jensen, accompanied by Chad, James, and Greg. "We saw him!" Jensen yells. "He's here!"

"What, the creature?" Jared asks, a chill running through him.

"Yeah, we got problems," Jensen admits, pointing at the shadow crossing the sun. "Not only that, but he's turned the rivers to blood, and—watch out!" He grabs Jared, shoving him out of the way as a ball of fire crashes into the courtyard.

"This is bad," Jared murmurs, watching the rain of fire as the light fades from the unexpected eclipse. Suddenly, there's a blood-curdling scream from the rooms above them, and Jared and Jensen look at each other briefly before legging it up the stairs.

"Oh, God," Jared gasps, when they enter the room and find what's left of Alex on the floor. His body is twisted and shrunken, looking for all the world like a desiccated corpse that had been left in the desert for a long time.

"That's not the worst of it," Jensen says grimly, and Jared glances at him before following his gaze to the far side of the room where the monster from the desert is contorting itself, twisting and writhing. Jared watches, horrified, as muscles and skin form over its skeletal body, and it shrieks in pain as it regenerates.

"This is really, _really_ bad," Jared moans.

"Tell me about it," Jensen says. The monster looks at him for a moment before turning its attention to Jared, who backs away quickly, happy to let Jensen in front of him to shoot it full of bullets. It doesn't do any good; the creature keeps coming, despite the added firepower from Chad, James, and Greg behind them. Jensen tosses his gun aside and tries to land a punch on the thing, but the creature just laughs, picking Jensen up like he's made of straw and flinging him across the room.

"No!" Jared yells as the others are given the same treatment. The monster looks him in the eye and seems to smile before leaning in like it's about to kiss him. Jared closes his eyes and cringes, but something distracts the creature because it howls, whirling away from Jared in a flurry of sand. It vanishes out the window, and Jared breathes a sigh of relief.

"What the hell happened?" Chad groans from the floor.

"Cat," Jensen says from the other side of the room. "Alex's cat. It hissed at the thing, and it ran away."

"Thank God for that," Jared says. He's never been so relieved in all his life.

~

"Why are we going here again?" Jensen asks as Jared leads the way into the museum.

"Because if anyone knows anything, it's Kripke," Jared says. "He's even more of an Egypt geek than I am." They round the corner, and Jared's shocked to find Mr. Kripke sitting at his desk with the guy from the desert beside him.

"You!" Jared says.

"Yes, Jared, it's us," Kripke sighs, taking off his glasses. "I believe you've already met Misha Krushnic?"

"What's going on?" Jared asks.

"It's a long story." Kripke sighs.

"Summarize," Jensen says in a tone that leaves little room for objection.

"We are part of an ancient sect, the Medjai. For thousands of years, we have kept the secrets of Hamunaptra. It is a sacred mission, passed down through the generations, to guard the City of the Dead. And because of you, we have failed!"

"Failed?" Jared asks.

"The High Priest Imhotep has been released into this world," Krushnic says. "We must do anything in our power to stop him."

"And that's a good enough excuse to kill people?" Jared asks, aghast.

Kripke and Krushnic look at each other. "Yes!" they say in unison.

"Right. Okay," Jensen says, sounding weary. "So why is he scared of cats?"

"They are the guardians of the underworld," Kripke says. "He will fear them until he is fully regenerated. And once that happens, nothing will stop him."

"And you know how he regenerates?" James interrupts. "By killing us! And sucking us dry like he did with Alex!"

"Yes, that is what he will try to do," Krushnic says, fixing his bright blue stare on James. "We must prevent this from occurring."

"Too bloody right, you must," James mumbles, and Greg nods agreement.

"Look, when he saw me in Hamunaptra, he called me Anck-su-namun," Jared says. "And then just before, he tried to kiss me. Anyone know what the hell _that_ is all about?"

Kripke and Krushnic look at each other and frown.

"Guys?" Jared asks.

Kripke purses his lips. "He must have mistaken you for his lover, Anck-su-namun. She was the pharoah's mistress; he loved her and died for it."

"Oh no, you have _got_ to be kidding me," Jared splutters. "I'm not a girl!"

"Coulda fooled me," Chad mutters.

"According to legend, Anck-su-namun _was_ remarkably tall," Kripke says.

"That is not a comfort," Jared snaps. "Not a comfort at _all_. What does he want to do with me?"

"He'll probably want to use you as a sacrifice to reincarnate the spirit of Anck-su-namun," Krushnic says.

"No one seems too concerned over the fact that this Imhotep has _mistaken me for his long-dead girlfriend_," Jared says loudly, feeling like everyone is missing the main point here.

"Yes, yes, we know," Kripke says. "Don't get your knickers in a twist."

"Thanks for the support," Jared says, glaring at Jensen, who is looking suspiciously like he is about to burst out laughing.

"It _is_ kinda funny," Chad points out.

"I hate you _all_," Jared says murderously.

[Part 3](http://annella.livejournal.com/1052243.html)


	4. The Mummy, part 3/3

  
  
  
**Entry tags:** |   
[fic](http://annella.livejournal.com/tag/fic), [mummy!fic](http://annella.livejournal.com/tag/mummy%21fic)  
  
---|---  
  
_ **The Mummy, part 3/3** _   
[Part 2](http://annella.livejournal.com/1052129.html)

"What's the plan?" Jensen asks once they're all back at Jared's apartment within the fort.

"We have to stop him regenerating!" Jared says firmly. He looks at James and Greg, who both look terrified. "You say you got the jars from inside a chest that said whoever opened it would die—who else was there with you?"

James and Greg look at each other. "There was that Egyptologist, Singer," Greg says.

"What about Albie?" Jensen asks suspiciously. "I haven't seen him since we were in Hamunaptra; any idea what happened to him?"

"No idea," James says. "He bolted before we opened the chest."

"Yeah, that sounds like Albie," Jensen says wryly.

"We have to find Singer and bring him back here," Jared says.

Jensen nods. "Right. Chad, you're with me; James and Greg, you stay here with Jared."

"What? No!" Jared yells, at the same time as Chad says, "Why do I have to come with you?"

"I'm not some piece of baggage you can just leave behind," Jared objects. "How dare you treat me like a damsel in distress?"

Jensen looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "Anck-su-namun?"

"I'm coming with you, and that's final." Jared folds his arms and glares at Jensen. "And I'd like to see you try to stop me."

"I could throw you over my shoulder," Jensen points out.

Jared snorts. "Good luck." He's regretting that a moment later, though, when Jensen shoves his shoulder into Jared's stomach and tosses him over his shoulder with a ridiculous amount of ease. "No!" Jared yells. "Put me down, you asshole! _Put me down!_" He's helpless, wriggling in Jensen's arms, trying desperately to kick his way free. He has to admit, though, that from this angle, he does have a _very_ nice view of Jensen's ass in tight pants. Moments later, he's cursing his distraction when Jensen dumps him on the couch in the next room and is back through the door before Jared can get up. The door slams on his nose, and Jared hears the unmistakable sound of a key turning in the lock.

"Don't let him out!" he hears Jensen say. That's the final straw; Jared does _not_ appreciate being treated like he's helpless, and being locked up is not acceptable. He takes a step back and raises his leg, kicking the lock in easily. The door flies open, and Jared is immensely satisfied to see a look of shock on Jensen's face.

"I'm coming with you," Jared says firmly.

"Fine," Jensen sighs. "But don't blame me if you get captured and sacrificed as the reincarnation of a long-dead girlfriend."

~

Singer lives in a ramshackle apartment on the outskirts of the city, and when they arrive, they find Albie already there, rifling through Singer's drawers. The entire room is a mess, and Jensen growls under his breath.

"What a surprise," he says loudly, and Albie turns to look at him, a panicked expression on his face when he sees Jensen. He tries to make a run for it out the window, but Jensen grabs a chair and throws it at him, tangling Albie's legs up and bringing him down.

"Nice," Jared says. Jensen tosses him a quick grin and goes after Albie, easily picking him up off the floor and holding him up by the scruff of the neck.

"Good to see you again, Albie," Jensen says sarcastically. "Care to tell me what's going on here?"

"Nothing!" Albie squeaks.

"I don't think that's what's happening," Jensen says in a mild tone. "I think you came back from the desert with a new friend, am I right?"

"No! No friends but you, Ackles!"

"Now why don't I believe you?" Jensen holds him up higher, close to the ceiling fan, which spins in his face. Albie shrieks.

"Yes! Yes! I came back with the High Priest!"

"What's in it for you, hmm?" Jensen demands. "What's he promised you?"

"It is better to be the right hand of the Devil than to stand in his way," Albie pants, sweating. "He will not hurt me if I aid him."

"Awesome," Jensen mutters. "So, what are you looking for? Tell me!"

"I will not—"

Jensen holds him higher; the fan brushes the ends of his hair, and Albie shrieks again. "The book! The book! He needs the Book of the Dead!"

"What for?"

"Something about bringing his dead girlfriend back to life! He needs the book and your friend!"

Jensen puts Albie down and looks at Jared, a worried frown on his face. "You should've stayed back at the fort," he says, sounding nervous.

"No way," Jared says. "Better with you than with those two Brits."

"Hey, hang onto him!" Chad yells. Albie's managed to slip out of Jensen's grasp, and as he passes, he knees Jensen in the balls. Jensen goes down with a groan, and Albie leaps out of the window before Jared or Chad can grab him.

"Crap," Jensen grinds out, his voice strangled. He's in a heap on the floor, curled up in a ball and clutching at his balls in agony. Jared winces in sympathy and helps him to his feet.

"You okay?" he asks.

"I'll get you to kiss it better later," Jensen mutters, just as a blood-curdling scream comes from the street. They rush to the window and peer out. A large crowd of people in the street scatters away from two figures: one is the shrivelled remains of Singer, and the other is hooded and cloaked. A rotted hand reaches down, taking both the Book and the canopic jar from Singer's body before the figure turns to look up at the window.

"Back inside!" Jensen snaps, just as Imhotep opens his mouth and roars at them, a swarm of insects pouring forth. Jared and Jensen slam the shutters closed just as the swarm hits, and they leg it out the back door.

~

"Well. That's just awesome," Jensen says morosely, staring at the remains of Greg on the floor of Jared's living room. James is looking incredibly nervous, pacing and twitching, and Jared can't blame him.

"Why didn't he take you as well?" Jensen asks.

"I was getting some whiskey! I was only out of the room for a few minutes!" James says.

"Oh, God," Jared groans, going into his room and sitting on his bed, head buried in his hands. Jensen follows, closing the door behind him, and sits next to Jared.

"Hey, c'mon," Jensen says. "We'll fix it."

"I just—" Jared stops. "I just want to take a break. Stop running around and trying to avert the Apocalypse. I'm a librarian! I didn't sign up for this!"

"Calm down," Jensen says, putting a hand on his thigh. "We do need to rest. We've been going without sleep for almost two days now, and trust me, we're all going to think better when we're more alert."

Jared sighs, leaning his head against Jensen's shoulder, and Jensen strokes his hair. It feels good, relaxing, Jensen's strong fingers combing through the strands and gently rubs his scalp. Jared makes a soft noise of pleasure, opening his mouth a little against Jensen's neck and kissing the warm skin.

"Jared—" Jensen manages as Jared steps up his game, licking and sucking at Jensen's neck while he explores other areas with his hands.

"Yeah?"

"We should rest." He sounds reluctant, and Jared smiles when he tilts his head back to allow Jared easier access.

"Soon," Jared agrees. Jensen's stomach is warm and solid, and Jared traces the lines of his muscles as Jensen squirms against him and finally starts to reciprocate. He turns his head and catches Jared's wandering mouth with his own. His lips are hot and desperate, and there is a sudden urgency to their movements. Jared finds himself on his back on the bed, his shirt half off and his glasses sitting crooked on his nose.

Jensen grins down at him and unbuttons his own shirt, slipping his suspenders and gun holsters off his shoulders, followed by the white linen of his shirt. Jared watches eagerly, shaking fingers stroking every inch of new skin that is bared, down Jensen's stomach to his waistband.

Jensen sighs softly and raises his hands to Jared's face, his fingers gentle as they trace his jawline, over his cheekbones. Jared's fingers still their movements as Jensen runs his hands down Jared's neck, over his shoulders, pushing his shirt off. He leans down to kiss him, and his mouth is like fire against Jared's skin, leaving a burning trail in its wake.

"God damn, but you feel good," Jensen pants, kissing Jared desperately as Jared slides his hands down the back of Jensen's pants, feeling the smooth, firm roundness of his ass. He shoves the pants out of the way, pulling them down around Jensen's thighs before pressing his palms to Jensen's chest and gently pushing him upright so Jared can see him properly.

He's an amazing sight; the lanterns lighting the room cast a soft glow over him, and Jared feasts his eyes on Jensen's sturdy frame, densely muscled, with a light sprinkling of hair on his chest leading down to his narrow hips and muscular thighs. His cock is hard and gleaming in the lamplight, standing out from his body with a shine of precome on the tip, waiting for Jared to stroke it, smear it around and slick Jensen up.

Jensen flushes under his gaze, staining his freckled skin pink, and he gives Jared a cocky grin, reaching down to push Jared's pants out of the way, exposing his hard cock. Jared's the one who feels scrutinized now, and he tries not to squirm as Jensen looks him over slowly, his eyes lingering on Jared's chest, his stomach, his cock.

"Fuckin' beautiful," Jensen murmurs. He wraps his hand around Jared's dick, sliding slowly up and down the shaft. He dips a finger into the slit, coming away with a drop of precome, which he licks off, and Jared moans hungrily, wrapping one hand around Jensen's hip and the other around his cock.

They stroke each other slowly, gazes locked, until they're both moaning and gasping, and Jensen falls forward, trapping their hands between them as he kisses Jared, deep and wet. Jared keeps his hand moving, and Jensen jerks his hips against Jared's, the space between them becoming slick with precome and sweat.

"Oh, God," Jared gasps. His glasses are slipping down his nose again, and he reaches up with his free hand, ripping them off his face and tossing them aside. Jensen groans, tightening his fist and kissing harder, deeper. Jared's close, so close, and Jensen somehow manages to fit his other hand between them, sliding around Jared's balls and squeezing them gently.

Jared goes off like a shot, pumping come between them as he shakes and groans his way through his orgasm. Jensen moans with him, jerking him through the aftershocks and kissing him breathless until Jared's hips still.

Jared could happily fall asleep right then, but he's got a gorgeous cock in his hand, and a really gorgeous guy attached to it, who is currently whimpering desperately into Jared's mouth. He grins, tightening his grip and jerking Jensen hard, his hand hot and slick with his own come. It only takes a few more strokes before Jensen tenses all over and cries out, spurting between them. He collapses down on top of Jared, mouthing weakly at his neck as he comes down.

"Jensen?" Jared says a few minutes later. They've managed to clean up and get dressed again, and now they're just lying together, sharing soft kisses.

"Hmm?"

"I really don't want to be sacrificed so this guy can get his girlfriend back."

Jensen sighs softly. "Yeah, I don't want that either." He sits up and runs a hand through his hair to make it stick up again. Jared moves to follow him, but Jensen puts a hand on his chest. "Take a nap. I'll go talk to the others about a plan."

"But—"

"Sleep, Jared. I need you to be alert."

Jared nods despite himself, and unashamedly ogles Jensen's ass as he leaves the room. Jensen's right; Jared really needs some sleep. He lies back on the bed and is asleep within minutes.

~

Waking up to find someone kissing you is pretty awesome. Waking up to find that the someone who is kissing you is a four-thousand-year-old rotted corpse, however, is pretty much the worst thing ever. Jared shrieks and pulls away, staring in horror at Imhotep, whose disgusting, putrid mouth had just been on Jared's. Oh God, he's going to puke. His mouth tastes like death, and he's just been violated by a goddamned mummy who thinks Jared is his dead girlfriend.

He's never going to get over this.

"What the fuck is _wrong_ with you?" he yells. "I'm not your fucking girlfriend! Find someone else!"

Imhotep frowns and moves closer, and Jared scoots away as fast as he can, glancing around for a weapon, anything he can use against Imhotep.

Thankfully, he doesn't have to worry about that for long because his bedroom door bursts open to reveal Jensen, holding a cat.

"Catch!" Jensen says, tossing the snarling cat at Imhotep. Imhotep shrieks and spins away, a whirlwind of sand flying out the window in a rush. The cat lands on the floor with a thump and vanishes under the bed.

"Are you okay?" Jensen asks.

"I'll do," Chad says, and Jensen glares at him.

"He kissed me!" Jared says. "There was _tongue_! Oh God, I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Tongue?" Jensen wrinkles his nose. "Gross."

"Tell me about it!" Jared yells. "Um, thanks for the rescue, though."

"No problem," Jensen smirks, and Jared gives him a dirty look.

"Bourbon?" Chad says, offering him a flask. Jared takes it gratefully, swishing his first mouthful around and spitting it out before taking a long swallow.

"Ergh," he says. The taste has gone, but it's going to take a while before he forgets the slimy, rotted feel of Imhotep's mouth against his.

"Keep it," Chad says when Jared offers him the flask back.

"Have you guys thought of anything yet?" Jared asks. Everyone shakes their heads. James looks terrified, his face pale and sweaty, and Jared feels a fair amount of sympathy for him. "Come with me," Jared says thoughtfully, an inkling growing in the back of his mind, "I think I might have an idea."

~

"Why are we back here?" Jensen asks as Kripke leads them through the museum.

"I was thinking," Jared says as they walk, "the book that Singer found, it was supposed to be the Book of Amun-Ra. But it was the Book of the Dead! They must have got them mixed up! I'm willing to bet that the Book of Amun-Ra is wherever the Book of the Dead was supposed to be. And I figure that if the Book of the Dead can bring a dead person back to life, then the Book of Amun-Ra—"

"—can kill him again," Jensen finishes, and Jared nods.

"Exactly!"

"So where is it?"

"That's why we're here," Jared says.

"Here," Kripke says, stopping in his tracks and pointing to a display of a hieroglyphic-covered stone. Jared steps forward and starts examining the symbols, but he is interrupted by a loud crash from the foyer.

"There's a mob coming!" Chad yells, panting as he runs towards them. "They're all covered in sores, it's pretty gross."

"Boils and sores," Krushnic notes. "His powers are growing."

"You wanna hurry things along a little?" Jensen asks Jared.

"Shut up," Jared murmurs. It's hard enough to read hieroglyphics when he's in a quiet room with all the time in the world; this is a fairly stressful situation and he doesn't want to get it wrong.

"Come on!" Chad yells. "They're breaking down the doors!"

"Almost there!" Jared shouts. "Here! The Book of Amun-Ra is buried under Anubis, and the Book of the Dead is buried underneath Horus!"

"Great, let's go!" Jensen snaps, grabbing Jared and dragging him away just as the front doors burst open to the museum. They manage to escape out the back door, all of them piled into Chad's car, and as they're leaving the grounds, Jared looks back to see Imhotep standing at a window on the top floor, looking seriously pissed off.

"Where are we going?" Chad asks, panic in his voice.

"Hamunaptra," Jared says. "We have to go back to Hamunaptra."

"In a _car_?" Chad shouts. "How are we gonna get there? We've got a mob on our tail!"

"Not just on our tail," Jensen says. "They're all around us."

Chad slams on the breaks, and the car screeches to a halt. There's a wall of people up ahead, spotty and oozing, and there's no way through. "Crap," Chad says softly.

The crowd begins chanting. "Imhotep. Imhotep. Imhotep. Imhotep." It's seriously freaky.

"What now?" Chad asks.

"Drive," Jensen snaps. "Bowl them over."

"But—"

"Do it!"

Chad stomps on the gas and the car shoots forward, ramming into the crowd of people. Jared silently curses Chad for owning a stupid convertible instead of a car with benefits such as a roof; hands reach inside and try to grab them, and they can't drive fast enough to stop people running alongside and doing their best to drag them all out of the car. There are people clinging to the sides, and Jared hears a shriek from behind him as James is dragged out of the backseat and vanishes into the crowd.

"We gotta go back for him!" he yells, but it's too late; they hear a blood-curdling shriek, and the roar of Imhotep as he drains James of his life.

"Oh God, oh God," Chad whimpers as he drives, bodies flying everywhere. Jensen shoots at anyone who tries to get into the car, but he's running out of guns. There are crazed people all over the windscreen, and Jared can't see the road in front of them. Neither can Chad, apparently, because the car suddenly slams into a wall, jolting them all forward painfully.

"Get out! Run for it!" Jensen yells, dragging Jared out of the car and firing into the crowd that threatens to engulf them. There's no escape; they're trapped against the wall, with the mob advancing on all sides.

"What now?" Jared asks.

"I didn't really want to have to do this," Jensen mutters, and pulls a stick of dynamite out of his pocket. He drags a match down Krushnic's face, earning him a yelp and a glare, and lights the dynamite.

The crowd backs away, and Jared spots a manhole. "We can get out through here!" he says, rushing over and trying to lift it. Krushnic and Chad help him, and they've almost got it open when the crowd goes completely silent. A chill wind blows through the street, and Jared knows without even looking that Imhotep is here.

He's fully regenerated; a tall, strong-looking man, completely bald and wearing a simple loincloth and robe. His eyes are dark, and he smiles at Jared, a smug, condescending smile. He reaches out a hand to Jared, ignoring the stick of dynamite that Jensen is still holding.

"_Koontash dai na_," he says. Albie appears at his side, looking sick.

"Come with me, and I will spare your friends," he translates.

Jared looks at Jensen and grabs the stick of dynamite, pulling the fuse out and tossing it aside. It's useless against Imhotep. "Any bright ideas?" he asks hopefully.

Jensen shakes his head.

"_Keetah mi pharos, aja nilo, isirlan_," Imhotep continues. Albie frowns and mouths something to himself, then says, "Come with me, my princess. It is time to make you mine forever."

"Oh, for Christ's sake," Jared sighs. "I'm not a princess! Doesn't he have _eyes_? Besides, it's for _all eternity_, you idiot."

Albie quails a little from the force of Jared's glare. "Oh."

Jared turns to Jensen. "I swear, if you don't rescue me and he turns into a mummy, I'm coming for you."

"Jared—"

"I'll be okay. He has to take me to Hamunaptra and perform some kind of ritual. There's time. It's not like I have a choice, is it?"

Jensen looks devastated and shakes his head. Jared takes his hand and kisses him gently, trying not to think about how this could be the last time he sees Jensen.

"No," Jensen says, as Jared walks towards Imhotep. He pulls out a gun, but Krushnic places a hand on his arm, lowering the weapon.

"Don't," he says. "It would not do any good."

"I'll come for you," Jensen assures Jared as he walks away, and Jared doesn't doubt it.

"Hey, that's mine!" he hears Chad saying loudly, and he turns to see Albie fighting with Chad over the key. Jared sighs; he'd been hoping Imhotep would forget about that, but no luck.

As they're leaving, Imhotep says, "Pared oos."

"No!" Jared yells, struggling to escape from the sudden iron grip that holds him back. Albie smiles and says, "Kill them!" to the mob.

Jared doesn't see what happens next; the world disappears in a swirl of sand.

~

"Oh my _God_," Jared splutters, falling to his knees on the sand and coughing out half the desert. "Couldn't we have just taken camels? Your way of travelling is _horrible_." He glares at Imhotep, who just raises an eyebrow and stalks away. Jared gets to his feet and dusts himself off, straightening his glasses and peering around. "We're—we're already here." The ruins of Hamunaptra glitter in the distance, and he sighs.

That's when he spots the small airplane heading towards them. It's just a spot in the distance, but he can already hear the roar of the engines, and he grins. "Jensen," he breathes. He must have survived! After taking a moment to feel immense relief, Jared mentally curses him for so easily falling into the role of the damsel in distress—this entire thing is seriously screwing with Jared's masculinity.

His hopes are short-lived, however; Imhotep sees the airplane as well, and Jared watches in horror as he stretches his arms out. A huge wave of sand rises up and barrels straight for the plane, and Jared is helpless to act as Imhotep opens his mouth and roars, the wall of sand taking on his aspect as he swallows the plane.

"No!" Jared yells, feeling useless as the small plane tumbles around in the sandstorm. "Stop it! You'll kill them!"

"I think that is the point," Albie says.

"This had better work," Jared mutters as he suddenly has an idea. He steps in front of Imhotep, grabbing his face and tilting his head back for a kiss. Jared puts his all into it, just feeling grateful that at least Imhotep's fully regenerated now, and it's nothing like kissing a dead guy.

Amazingly, it works; he feels Imhotep tense up and then relax into the kiss, and by the time Jared lets him go, the wall of sand has gone down and the plane is stuttering across the sky. It's too late, though. The plane is going down, and Jared gasps when it disappears behind a dune and crashes out of sight, a spray of sand rising up above the crest of the dune.

"That was amazing," Albie says, in a snide, crawling voice. Jared hits him across the back of the head, and Albie flinches back, looking to Imhotep for help. Imhotep ignores him and heads towards the city. Jared has no choice but to follow him.

As they enter the crypts, Albie gives Jared a shove to make him move faster. Jared really doesn't appreciate that, and he turns to snarl at Albie. "You know, you're going to get what's coming to you," he says.

"Oh, really?" Albie smirks.

"Hell, yeah. Slimy worms _always_ get what's coming to them. It's going to be nasty."

It works; Albie's face falls, and he says, "They do?" in a worried tone. Jared just smiles widely at him.

They finally reach a large cavern, with a stone slab in the center of it. Imhotep gestures at it, and Albie says, "Lie down on the altar."

"Like hell!" Jared splutters. Imhotep shrugs and hits him on the back of the head. He's got one hell of a blow; Jared's vision blurs, and he passes out.

~

He wakes to find himself spread-eagle on the altar, his hands and feet tied so tight that he can barely move. He looks around and recoils from the desiccated mummy on the slab next to him. It must be Anck-su-namun, but she still seems pretty dead. More interesting is the sudden sound of a gunshot echoing through the chamber, sounding fairly close, and Jared grins. Jensen's unstoppable.

"Master," Albie says obsequiously, "they still live!"

Imhotep nods, frowning slightly, and opens a canopic jar on the altar. He reaches inside and pulls out a handful of ashes, which he blows around the room. He murmurs something Jared can't make out, and suddenly, the walls are alive with twitching mummies, pulling themselves out of the crumbling stone and shuffling towards Imhotep. Jared cringes; Imhotep points imperiously, and they start shuffling out of the room, towards where the gunfire had come from.

"Great," Jared sighs, as the gunfire starts up again, this time in earnest. Imhotep looks frustrated as he approaches the altar, carrying the Book of the Dead. The remaining mummies shuffle forward, kneeling around the altar and chanting in creaky, inhuman voices as Imhotep lays the book down and takes the key out of his robes. He caresses the cheek of the mummy lying next to Jared for a moment, looking down at her with affection, and opens the book.

Jared's running out of options here. He struggles against his bonds, but they're tied tight, and all he gets out of it are some seriously chafed wrists. Imhotep starts chanting from the Book, his voice loud over the explosions coming from what seems like the next room.

A black mist rises from a dark, oily pool in the center of the chamber. "Crap," Jared whispers, struggling even harder as the mist passes through the remaining canopic jars and towards him. It moves through him, chilling his bones, then settles into the mummified Anck-su-namun.

She moves, shrieks soundlessly, and Jared shrieks loudly in response when he looks up to see Imhotep holding a dagger over him, about to plunge it into his heart.

"I found the book!" someone yells. Imhotep freezes, and Jared looks over to see Chad standing by the entrance to the room holding a golden book aloft.

"Open it!" Jared yells as Imhotep stalks away, heading for Chad. "You have to find the inscription that will kill him!"

"I can't! It's locked! I need a key!"

"It's in his robes!"

Chad shrieks at the sight of Imhotep heading towards him and flees the room. Jared sighs. That's when Jensen turns up, waving a sword, and he easily slices through the bonds holding one of Jared's wrists. The mummies surrounding the altar groan and shuffle towards him, and Jared watches in awe as Jensen hacks and slashes at them, heads and arms going flying. He tries to untie the rope holding his other wrist, but it's useless, and all he can do is kick and punch the mummies who get too close. Suddenly, he notices a glint in the corner of his eye; Imhotep laid his dagger down on the altar, and it's so close that Jared can almost reach it.

Once the mummies are dispatched, Jensen turns to him and grins. "Mummies!" he says happily, raising the sword to cut through the remaining ropes holding Jared down. He's just about to swing it when something grabs his feet and he falls down in a heap. Jared watches helplessly as the top half of a mummy holds his legs and another holds his arms. A third mummy approaches slowly, holding a giant rock, and Jensen is only just able to grab the sword again and cut the legs off it before it drops the rock on him.

"Finally," Jared sighs as Jensen frees him.

"I coulda left you there, you know," Jensen says. "You looked pretty good all tied down and helpless."

Jared hits him across the back of the head. "Time and a place, man."

They turn to go after Chad, but standing in the way are a newly-arrived troop of mummies, these ones equipped with swords and armor.

"Awesome," Jensen says, stepping in front of Jared as they back away. "Because my day couldn't get _worse_."

"Chad!" Jared yells. "What did you do?"

"I don't know!" Chad cries, coming back into the room. "I just read something from the cover!"

"Fix it!"

"How?"

"You should be able to control them, keep reading the inscription!" Jared really, _really_ hopes that what he is saying is true. These guys aren't the shuffling, decrepit mummies Jensen had defeated so easily; these guys are _stalking_ them. He and Jensen keep backing away, and suddenly someone grabs Jared from behind, yanking him away.

"Hey!" Jensen yells, but that's when Imhotep shouts a command to the soldier mummies, who promptly rush Jensen.

"I'm okay!" Jared yells, running as fast as he can from the frenzied Anck-su-namun, wielding Imhotep's sacrificial dagger. He hears Jensen bellow a war-cry, but it's followed up by the much more bone-chilling and impressive roar of the soldiers as they attack. Jared can't think about that now, though, because Anck-su-namun is determined to take him out. He manages to dodge her blows, ducking and weaving around pillars, listening to the clanging and shrieking of Jensen's battle with the soldiers.

"Hurry up, Chad!" he yells as he ducks to avoid a slash to the neck. He grabs her, trying to shake the dagger out of her hands, but she's unnaturally strong, easily overpowering and slashing at him.

"I can't figure out this last symbol!" Chad's plaintive voice echoes through the chamber.

"What does it look like?" Jared shouts back, on the run again.

"A bird! Some kind of stork, I think!"

Anck-su-namun grabs Jared around the throat, trying to choke him. "A—it's—_Ahmenophus_!"

"Oh, yeah," Chad says thoughtfully. "_Hootash im Ahmenophus_!"

The sounds of battle cease, and Jared can hear Imhotep yelling uselessly at the soldiers. Chad shouts something to them, and Anck-su-namun freezes, turning in horror to see the soldiers coming towards her.

Jared takes the opportunity to flee; he doesn't need to be here for Anck-su-namun's death. He hears her shriek as the soldiers cut her to pieces.

Imhotep has Chad by the neck, holding him up against the wall. Jared rushes to help, but Jensen's already there, cutting Imhotep's arm off. He doesn't bleed; the wound dries up into a lump of desiccated flesh, and Imhotep drops Chad, turning his attention to Jensen.

"Oh, crap," Jensen says, and Imhotep grabs him, throwing him across the room. Jared winces as Jensen hits the wall and tumbles to the ground, but Jensen's up and fighting again moments later as Imhotep sticks his arm back on and goes to finish him off.

"I got the key, Jared!" Chad calls triumphantly. Jared tries not to let the fight between Jensen and Imhotep—a losing battle, if ever he saw one—distract him, so he yells, "Keep him occupied!" as he rushes over to Chad and slips the key into the lock on the golden book.

"No problem!" Jensen replies, groaning when Imhotep throws him against another wall.

"Come on, come on," Chad says as Jared opens the book, hunting desperately for the right incantation.

"Not helping!"

Across the room, Imhotep is holding Jensen by the throat, slowly but surely choking him, and Jared's fingers shake as they trace over the symbols, searching desperately for the right one.

"I've got it!" he finally yells triumphantly. "_Kadeesh mal! Kadeesh mal! Pared oos! PARED OOS!_" He looks at Imhotep and grins when he looks at Jared in horror. Imhotep drops Jensen, who crumples to a heap on the floor.

A swirling, black vortex appears at the top of the stairs, and a strong wind whistles through the chamber. From the vortex, a chariot appears with four horses made of black mist. It thunders down the stairs, charging towards Imhotep, who wails as it passes through him, dragging a shadow from him and back into the vortex. He falls to his knees, and Jared holds his breath.

Jensen gets to his feet, picking up his sword. "He's not dead, Jared. You said it would kill him!" Imhotep stalks towards him, a small smile on his face, and Jensen runs him through easily. Imhotep looks surprised, confused, and Jared grins.

"It killed the immortal part of him. He can die now."

Imhotep staggers backwards, falling into the pool. The thick, oily liquid washes over him, and as they watch, Imhotep becomes once again a rotted corpse, twisted and snarling. Just before he slips beneath the surface, he hisses something.

"Death is only the beginning," Jared whispers, staring at the pool.

"Thank God, it's finally over," Jensen says softly, and Jared nods.

That's when the ceiling begins to cave in.

"You have _got_ to be kidding!" Chad wails.

"Time to go!" Jensen says firmly, and they flee the room, the floor shaking and the walls cracking around them. Chad trips and falls, and the Book of Amun-Ra falls from his grasp, sliding into the pool. Jared can't believe it.

"You dropped the book! The Golden Book of Amun-Ra! Chad!" He rushes back to where Chad is and is about to dive into the pool to rescue it, but Jensen grabs him by the collar of his shirt and pulls him back.

"It's just a book, come on!"

Jared feels like no one really understands the significance of that book, but the ceiling _is_ collapsing around him, so he runs. They race through a massive chamber piled high with more treasure than Jared can imagine ever seeing, but he hardly sees it; the only thing on his mind right now is getting out through the tunnel on the other side of the room, which is rapidly becoming smaller.

"Can't we—" Chad starts.

"No!" Jared and Jensen both yell, grabbing his hands and pulling him along. They crawl through the tunnel almost on their bellies, and only just make it out before the ceiling becomes too low to even slide through.

"Wait for me!" Jared hears from behind them, and he turns to see Jensen offering a hand to Albie, who's frantically wriggling his way through the tunnel. He's not going to make it though, and Jared cringes as the tunnel closes up.

"Goodbye, Albie," Jensen says, pausing for a moment before joining Jared and Chad as they flee the city. Behind them, buildings collapse, pillars fall over, and it's a chaotic scramble to reach the city limits, where they find an unexpected group of camels.

"Where did they come from?" Jared asks.

"Beats me," Jensen says. "But they're going to be useful."

"And does anyone know why the entire place collapsed like that?" Chad asks. "It was fucking random, am I right?"

"I have no idea," Jared says. "Although... I have to say, I'm relieved. I'd hate for anyone else to go poking around in there and accidentally waking up undead mummies who want to destroy the world."

"Please don't do that ever again," Jensen says.

"I'll try." Jared smiles at Jensen.

They're watching the collapse of the city in silence when Chad shrieks, startling Jared so badly that he screams a little, too. They all turn to see Krushnic sitting on a camel, grinning at them.

"Thank you, thank you _very_ much!" Chad says sarcastically. He sits down on the ground and breathes deeply, and Jared can't help laughing at him.

"Thank you," Krushnic says quietly. "You have my gratitude, as well as that of the Medjai."

Chad waves a hand. "Oh, that was nothing."

Krushnic bows his head to them and rides off. "He's just leaving us here," Chad sighs. "This is awesome."

"We're alive," Jared points out.

"And empty-handed. All this work ,and we don't even get to take something home with us!"

"Dunno about that," Jensen says in Jared's ear, his arms wrapping around Jared's waist. Jared turns in his grasp and smiles down at him, leaning in for a kiss.

"Oh, for God's sake," Chad groans, going over to the camels so he doesn't have to watch. Jared ignores him, concentrating on the soft press of Jensen's lips, the warmth of his hands, and the joy of having made it out alive.


End file.
